Patch Notes: October 1, 2012

October 1's patch notes:


General

• Fixed bugs for various stuck events and skill challenges.

• Fixed bugs for various map areas that allowed players to get outside of the playable space.

• Fixed a bug in dungeon speed-clearing code. Players should no longer experience reward reductions without triggering the speed-clearing debuff.

• Fixed a bug that was automatically killing players as they entered Sharkmaw Caverns in Lion’s Arch.

• Fixed an exploit in renown regions that allowed players to quickly complete them by interacting with objects while their inventory was full.

• Fixed a bug that caused charr characters to enter a state where any fall resulted in a long falling yell.

• Fixed a bug that caused older characters to have their monthly achievement reset upon completion before the current month ended.

• Fixed the conversion on all items that were changed from soulbound to account bound to actually be account bound now.

• Fixed a bug that was preventing certain music from playing.

• Fixed an issue with the loot table for undead grubs.

• Fixed a camera bug which occasionally caused the camera to get too close to the player’s backside.

• Updated the Barrel and Green Plant environmental weapons to disappear after lying on the ground for a set time. This will prevent map issues caused by hundreds of these bundles idling on the ground.

• Updated Rune of the Adventurer and Sigil of Energy to each grant 25% endurance when activated.

• Updated map completion rewards for Plains of Ashford and all World-versus-World maps to match the map level/content.

• Added an appropriate error message for players when trying to accept too many guild invites.

• Armor that is currently equipped can no longer be transmuted.

• Keg Brawl has received some updates: Lob: This skill is now ground-targeted.

Lob: This skill is now ground-targeted.
Throw: This skill now has the range of the old Lob but with a casting time.

• Master Weaponsmiths now sell their goods for coin instead of karma, as was originally intended.

• Miss Mipp at Almuten Mansion now sells Curry Buns instead of directly selling outdated buffs.

• Surfacing while downed underwater no longer grants invulnerability. This change was made to stop players from exploiting the surface of the water to maintain permanent invulnerability.

• The Trading Post will properly refresh when using item context menus from your inventory.

• Transmuted cultural armor now prevents opposing races from equipping it.

• Valkyrie armor boxes will now properly contain a coat instead of two helms when crafted.

Story

• Fixed bugs in the story step “Ships of the Line.”

• Fixed blocking bugs in the following story steps: “Forging the Pact,” “Killing Fields,” “Shell Shock,” “Short Fuse,” “The Battle of Fort Trinity,” “The Machine in Action,” and “Tower Down.”

• Updated difficulty of the following story steps: “Killing Fields,” “Lines of Communication,” “Minotaur Rampant,” “Mired Deep,” “Ships of the Line,” “The Battle of Fort Trinity,” “The Greater Good,” and “The Queen’s Justice.”

Events

• Fixed a bug that was periodically preventing the Claw of Jormag event from completing.

• Added catapults and scaling veterans to the bridge repair event in Kessex Hills.

Dungeons

Crucible of Eternity

• Reduced the difficulty of creatures and bosses, particularly health and armor.


Citadel of Flame

• Fixed exploits that allowing players to speed clear paths of this dungeon.

• Reduced difficulty of the Searing Effigy.

Arah

• Fixed map exploit that was allowing players to speed-clear paths of this dungeon.

• Fixed a blocking bug in story mode.


Player versus Player

• Games will no longer autobalance after one team has reached 80% of the maximum score if the game ends by score.

• Games will no longer autobalance when within two minutes of the end of the game if the game ends by time.
Autobalance functionality has been updated to give a new volunteer bonus to any players who volunteer for balancing, as well as giving any players balanced the winner bonus. When volunteers are lacking, random selection will be used. The text for this system has also been updated.


World versus World

• Updated the Red Portal Keep in the Eternal Battlegrounds to ensure the “no siege” debuff encompasses the entire start point.

• Fixed a bug with Keep Lords in World versus World where they could become immune to damage.

Professions

General

• Profession bundle weapons (engineer kits, elementalist conjure skills, warrior banners) can now save their autoattack status.

• The following profession skills now hit 3 targets instead of 1:

Elementalist Dagger: Lightning Whip, Lightning Touch

Mesmer Spear: Stab, Jab, Evasive Strike

Ranger Spear: Stab, Jab, Evasive Strike, Dart, Counterstrike

Thief Spear: Stab, Jab, Poison Tip Strike, Nine Tailed Strike

Warrior Spear: Stab, Jab, Impale, Mariner’s Frenzy, Parry

Elementalist

• Flame Burst: This skill will no longer fire if the target is behind the player.

• Lightning Surge: This skill no longer has infinite range and cannot fire at targets behind the player. It also is properly affected by line of sight and works with the Arcana trait Blasting Staff.


Engineer

• Elixir X: This skill now gains a duration increase from both the Inventions trait Elite Supplies and the Alchemy trait Potent Elixirs.

• Freeze Grenade: This skill no longer benefits from the Explosives trait Grenadier for 5-second cooldown reduction.

• Knee Shot: This Firearms trait now effects all immobilize skills for engineers. The effect can only trigger once every 5 seconds to prevent players from exploiting it to stack massive amounts of cripple.

• Mortar: This skill is now properly affected by the Inventions trait Rifled Turret Barrels.

• Rifled Barrels: This Firearms trait now works with the Elixir Gun kit when underwater.


Guardian

• Bane Signet: This skill’s animation will now work properly when activated by greatsword and hammer users.

• Line of Warding: This skill now lasts for 5 seconds instead of 8 seconds.

• Merciful Intervention: This skill has been updated to heal when it completes and isn’t aborted.

• Renewed Focus: This skill now functions better while underwater (players are able to use abilities sooner) and functions with the Virtues trait Elite Focus. This skill now also properly
refreshes Virtue of Courage when it is being affected by traits.

• Shield of Absorption: This skill will now appear correctly for all races.

• Wrathful Spirit: This Honor trait’s retaliation duration has been decreased from 10 seconds to 3 seconds.


Mesmer

• Updated all phantasms and clones available to the mesmer to ensure they activate within their range.

• Updated mantras to now function underwater as they do above water. They also no longer go on full recharge when interrupted.

• Illusionary Riposte: This skill now functions properly with the Dueling trait Blade Training.

• Phantasmal Warden: This skill no longer has a 0-second recharge when affected by traits. It now has approximately a 5-second recharge.


Necromancer

• Blood Is Power: This skill now grants 10 stacks of might but does not grant additional life force.

• Chill of Death: This Spite trait no longer slows down the player’s autoattack when activated.

• Epidemic: This skill no longer has infinite range.

• Haunt: This Shadow Fiend skill now triggers instantly.

• Last Gasp: This Soul Reaping trait will now apply protection and remove stun as if using Spectral Armor. It also now has the displayed 60-second recharge, and the duration has been reduced to 6 seconds to properly match the skill.

•Life Transfer: This skill will now work properly with the Soul Reaping trait Path of Midnight.

• Life Siphon: This skill now properly applies damage at its intended range of 600.

• Spectral Grasp: This skill now also grants 10% life force when used. It also benefits from the Curses trait Spectral Attunement to properly increase the chill duration to 6 seconds.

• Spectral Walk: This skill now stops granting life force when struck if the player activates Death Shroud, Plague, or Lich Form.

• Vampiric: This Blood Magic trait’s interaction with the Bloodthirst trait now increases health siphoning appropriately.


Ranger

• Entangle: This skill is now properly affected by the Wilderness Survival trait Wilderness Knowledge.

• Lick Wounds: This skill now functions only with ranger pets.


Mac Beta Client Update:

• Fixed a bug that prevented players from entering the at sign (@) in the launcher’s log-in fields when using French Apple keyboards.

• Fixed a bug that prevented gem purchases.